To be fuming with school.....

[Inthebathtub]

DD is 13 and as teenagers do, filling out in all the areas you'd expect a girl to. She has 2 pairs of school trousers that were bought in line with the school policy of no leggings or skinny leg trousers.
I've noticed they've become a bit snug around her bottom and thighs recently and as I literally live in a small village, don't drive, and nearest major shopping town is an hour away by bus, we've planned on a shopping outing in easter hols. I would go sooner but there's not enough time after school on the evenings I'm off and I work every sat and sun in the villiage. Had the hols not been so close I'd have ordered online but the couple of weeks also means I can put a bit aside each week and get a couple of decent pairs for her.
I get a snotty call from the teacher today complaining that DD's uniform isn't conforming to regulations as her trousers are skinny type. I explained that yes, they've got a bit snug however she's not uncomfortable and I am planning on new ones, and they're not skinny trousers, they're the same ones she's worn this school year and she is developing, and that they will be replaced asap.
Snotty teach then informs me that she must be in correct uniform by Monday or face discipline procedure for having incorrect uniform.
I once again tried to explain the above but basically they're not interested, and my daughter now faces discipline for developing and filling her trousers a little more than they'd like and for basically being from a family that doesn't have the ready cash to go straight out and replace stuff at their whim!
I am astounded, they are the same trousers that have conformed all bloody year and yes, she's put on a bit of weight developing and due to that the trousers will be replaced - when I can damned well afford it!

I eventually said I wanted to speak to someone else as this was ridiculous, and am ringing the deputy head tomorrow.

AIBU?

OP, I'm glad you got it sorted out reasonably and stuck to your guns. Seems like the first teacher your daughter encountered was a rules is rules narrow minded numpty. How hard is it to tell the difference between skinny trousers and straight leg (it isn't!).

I think all this fuss over the minutiae of uniform is utter bilge, and anyone who supports such a draconian approach is at best petty.

I am reminded of being at school aged 7 and 'told off' because the earrings in my newly pierced ears were too big. In fact, they were the prescribed size, but my ears were (still are in fact) really small so they looked bigger. When I took them out and put them side by side with another pupils which were deemed to be the correct size the teacher backed down. Nonsense.

My old school the deputy head moaned skirts were too short so everyone went out and got ankle length ones.

Then moaned skirts were too long.

Make your mind up ffs

And if course girls weren't permitted to wear trousers either...

It's possible to notice uniform AND keep children safe. And you know, get on with the teaching

Nevertheless, every minute spent proclaiming uniform rules, checking uniforms, telling children off, organising letters home, supervising uniform infringement punishments etc etc is a minute which could be spent much more usefully by every one of the teaching staff concerned.

If you don't want the answers op then don't ask the question.

38cody - would have preferred the answers to the actual issue not what people decided it was despite the responses from me and updates.......

Stick to your timeframes - I hugely resent this type of behaviour by schools particularly as your daughter has been wearing these trousers for some time . There's nth wrong with trying to make them last as long as possible anyway .
You may find that this gets dropped especially as it's your intention to replace them soon . Good Luck !

Maisypops so sending letters home, putting children on report, waiting for and judging responses, hell, taking the time and energy to inspect uniform at all ... all of that saves time? Oooookay.

I would be mortified,If the school had to phone me to say a uniform was to tight / small.im constantly checking and making sure they look neat and smart each day...Tesco,asda and sainsburys are open 24/7. And very cheep...and asda and Tesco deliver.

Maisypops so sending letters home, putting children on report, waiting for and judging responses, hell, taking the time and energy to inspect uniform at all ... all of that saves time? Oooookay.
Short term, no.
Long term, yes. Because the students know whats expected and do it so we dont have to do all of that.

Its like dealing with low level disruption in class. Deal with that as a school and the big disruptive stuff doesnt happen half as much.
So tonight I had a lovely 90mins with a group of gcse students who actually want to revise ajd have extra help.

When students know the score you dont spend lots of time doing all that chasing. Its about consistency.

Having worked in lots of schools, the worse schools tend to let lots slide and end up firefighting big issues. Successful schools care avout the small stuff and as a result the culture is great.
The difficukty is getting from a school thats deemed to be poor and turning it around, which is where schools tend to go very no excuses. New way of working comes in (usual battle with existinf students/some parents who want to undermine the school whilst expecting the school to improve. Often accompanied with comments about how the school is shite so whats the point/my kid isnt being sanctioned etc) It can take well over a year to start turning a school around because you have to fundamentally change a culture (which is really difficult when you have knowitalls thinking they know how to improve a school because they went to school themselves)

But my guess is you have lots of experiences about different schools.